Not that it shouldn't always be the case, by the Detroit Lions have clearly operated a meritocracy under head coach Dan Campbell. There will be no favoritism for the size of a contract, draft status or what someone has done before. Earn it here and now or someone might take your playing time, and possibly your job/roster spot if that applies.
We've already taken a look at three Lions players who may lose their job to a rookie this year. The context here will be a little different, not looking at those who's roster spot may be in peril in favor of a rookie who makes a push during training camp and the preseason.
Instead, we'll now look at Lions players who could lose playing time (snaps) to a rookie who proves himself worthy. Again, it doesn't mean these players will be cut. Just that a role they seem to be in line for right now could be taken from them by a rookie. That notion will always be subject to change, based on injuries, etc., but these three Lions should be looking over their shoulder when training camp starts next month.
3 Detroit Lions who may lose snaps to a rookie this year
3. RB Craig Reynolds
Reynolds also made our list of Lions who could lose their job/roster spot to a rookie. But in concert with the shift in meaning here, and the idea he's a player who's well-liked and will be a difficult cut, there's a definite chance he loses snaps to rookie Sione Vaki.
The core reasoning in the new "losing snaps" context is pretty simple. Reynolds just doesn't have the sheer talent, and requisite upside, Vaki does.
Vaki hasn't played much running back, even if he did it pretty well in limited run last year at Utah, but the Lions view him as that first and foremost. That in itself might be a tell about Reynolds' vulnerable place in the pecking order.
Vaki is in line to be used on special teams, and in that vein he feels like an option to return kickoffs. Camp practices and/or preseason games offer a way to give him a try there.
Whoever the Lions' No. 3 running back is won't get a lot of run offensively unless there's an injury to either David Montgomery or Jahmyr Gibbs. But Vaki injects a raw talent level to the competition that didn't exist a year ago, and that makes Reynolds vulnerable to having a lesser role at some point.
2. CB Amik Robertson
In every sense, Robertson feels like a great fit for the Lions after being signed as a free agent in March. His playing style and mentality defies a lack of size (5-foot-8, 183 pounds), and he can play inside or in the slot. Last season with the Raiders, he actually played mostly on the outside (506 snaps, compared to 100 snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus).
But unless Brian Branch moves off the slot corner role he was so good in last season to safety full-time this year, which actually may happen given all the additions made at cornerback, there's only so many snaps to go around for essentially three cornerback spots.
Fellow new acquisition Carlton Davis is locked into a starting job at one of the outside corner spots. Rookie Terrion Arnold is strongly penciled in opposite Davis, and it feels like he'll have to be injured or unexpectedly awful for that to change.
That's where we get to the other rookie cornerback the Lions drafted. Ennis Rakestraw got some run in the slot during rookie minicamp and OTAs. It's not a totally foreign role to him, since he did it some at Missouri, and if nothing else it's a way for him to get on the field a lot right away.
Competition in practice is good for all involved ("iron sharpens iron"), and the Lions' new cornerbacks all seem to befit the qualities they want at the position. Rakestraw won't be content to just fall in behind Robertson in a versatile inside-outside role, and if not right away the balance of playing time
1. DL Josh Paschal
Since the Lions took him with a top-50 pick (No. 46 overall) in the 2022 draft, Paschal's first two NFL seasons have been impacted by injuries (22 games; 693 defensive snaps) as he has totaled three sacks and 41 tackles.
This is shaping up to be a pivotal season for Paschal, which isn't breaking news. The Lions need someone to step up to bolster their pass rush, and his ability to line up across the defensive front works to his advantage. If he can't stay healthy and get more done in his third season, the path will be paved for him to play out his rookie contract in 2025 and be gone.
After the Lions took defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round of April's draft, here's what general manager Brad Holmes said about him.
"The role? I originally had looked at him as purely a defensive tackle that was going to be playing inside. When I kept watching him, his rushing ability really started to come to light. I kind of put him in a separate box. A little bit like when we talked about (Josh) Paschal coming out. He's got a lot of stuff on tape as an edge rusher."
Another outlet had Paschal as a winner for the Lions after this year's draft, on the idea a defensive end wasn't selected. There might be a little something to that, but Holmes' comments can be read as a foreshadow that Wingo has a chance to push Paschal for a notable and versatile role on the defensive line. At OTAs, defensive line coach Terrell Williams noted how "advanced" Wingo is.
Better health will be a critical component for Paschal this year. But he should see Wingo as a real threat to his playing time no matter what, and even if doesn't happen immediately a shift in snaps toward the rookie is firmly in play.
